Review of Le Snob: Guide to Tailoring

How can you assess the quality of a ready-to-wear suit? What colours & patterns will complement your body shape? Do you know the difference between RTW, MTM and bespoke?

Le Snob: Guide to Tailoring is a small compendium of style tips for the discerning gentleman. The book was written by Simon Crompton from the excellent blog, Permanent Style. In Le Snob, Simon writes in an informal manner, suitable for the budget conscious individual, or men who may be looking to move into bespoke clothing. Simon has a wealth of knowledge built up through many years of writing about gentleman’s style, interviewing tailors and experiencing fine clothing for himself.

The book is split up into seven main sections that guide the reader through the entire process of owning quality clothing. Needless to say, that doesn’t mean the book only covers top end bespoke.

In Section One, entitled Fundamentals, Le Snob takes the reader through the differences between ready-to-wear, made-to-measure and bespoke tailoring. This section of the book covers international suit trends, as well as how to choose the right fabric and cut for your physique. The Fundamentals section of the book is an excellent starting point for men who are looking for their first quality suit, whether that is RTW, MTM or for those with deep pockets—bespoke.

Section Two of Le Snob is entitled Before bespoke, which teaches the reader how to assess the quality of a RTW suit, what areas to pay particular attention too when trying on a suit. This section also covers the important area of alterations, and based on the technicality of the alterations, whether the suit is worth buying. Section two also covers MTM and how to go about choosing a good MTM retailer for this next step-up the scale of quality suits.

Section Three of Le Snob is entitled The bespoke process, which is a fascinating insight into this timeless art that remains a mystery to so many. If the reader is looking to buy their first bespoke suit, this section will prove invaluable in understanding the bespoke process. This includes details on the basted fitting stage, the forward fitting, right through to the final alteration stage. It will enable the reader to have a clear understanding of the bespoke process and prepare any questions they may have for their tailor before their first appointment. As a bespoke suit is a substantial investment, being prepared should ensure the reader will be delighted with their first and any subsequent bespoke suits.

Le Snob breaks the flow with occasional interview pieces with well-known industry experts that offer additional insight into the wonderful world of gentleman’s style. In Section Four Le Snob covers the Finishing touches of bespoke suits, such as choosing the lining, buttons and the types of pockets. In Section Five, the topic is Occasionwear that covers such areas as etiquette for black-tie dinners, adding some panache to show your personality and small extras that make all the difference to an outfit.

Section Six, entitled Possess covers the important area of clothing maintenance, cleaning, steaming and pressing, as well as storage for seasonal items. For those wish to extend the life of their suits as long as possible, this section will prove extremely useful. The final section of the book entitled Discover, provides details on where the reader can find out more about bespoke tailoring and fine clothing.

Overall, this small book packs a lot of detail in a very readable form. The book even has an elasticated strap similar to a Moleskine notebook, all adding to the charm of what the book contains. Le Snob: Guide to Tailoring will help the reader to understand the basics of buying a quality suit and extend their knowledge a little further by introducing them to the wonderful world of bespoke.